The Paula Sanders Report:
Virtual Fashion for Poser

Imagine! Now you can create your own fashions for
James, Jessi, Miki, and Terai Yuki. It is easy and fun with Virtual
Fashion Basic for Poser. Create many different styles of garments,
including shoes, in this program and then import them into Poser 6.
It is that easy. Now one can create a Poser figure from hair to
heels. Figure A has not only had her dress and shoes created in
Virtual Fashion, but her strand based hair was created in the Hair
Room in Poser 6.

One can create an outfit in Virtual Fashion that
encompasses a skirt, top and shoes, for example. One can also
create all these items individually and dress the Poser 6 figure in
separate garments and process them simultaneously in the Poser
Cloth room.

Before describing how the clothing is draped onto
the figure in Poser, a discussion of Virtual Fashion is in order.
Virtual Fashion Basic for Poser (VF) is a program that allows the
user the ability to create clothes for some of the most popular
Poser 6 models - James, Jessi, Miki and Terai Yuki 2. It is
internally connected to Poser and becomes an adjunct to Poser.

VF is set up with rooms, in a similar style to
Poser's rooms. The two rooms that are the most directly involved in
the production of clothes are the Designer Room and the
Fitting Room.

In the Designer room, one creates the clothes using
specific tools.

One first sets up the project.

On the left is an example of Jessi in the Designer Room before
any of the clothes have been started. On the right is a picture of
Jessi after the clothes were finished and she is in the Fitting
Room waiting to be exported to Poser 6.

The garment is saved in a special file in Virtual
Fashion. A Virtual Fashion folder is set up in the Poser
Library.One will use two categories in the Library. The VF folder
in Poses will contain a special Pose for all of the
figures; the VF folder in Props will contain the clothes
that were created in the Virtual Fashion program.

The process can best be explained by the following
sets of screen captures: First Jessi is selected from the
Figure section of the Library palette. Then, under the
Poses section, the Virtual Fashion Jessi is selected. She
will automatically replace the original Jessi. Next, under the
Props section, the clothes created in Virtual Fashion are
chosen from the Virtual Fashion folder. Lastly, in the Poser
Cloth Room, the actual process of draping the figure is
begun. The last picture shows the draped figure.

Below is a rendered version of this same dress.
Notice not only the pose, but the fact that the proportions of
Jessi's body have been altered and the dress was able to fit the
altered figure as well as a non-altered Jessi. (See above).

In Virtual Fashion one can use the cloth that is
already created such as silk, heavy wool, leather, cotton, etc. One
can also create cloth in the Materials Room. One can color the
fabric a solid color or use a pattern. By varying how the pattern
is applied, one can control its size, so that a garment can be
composed of patterns that vary in size. Garments can even be made
transparent or contain transparent areas.

When you drape the figure in the Cloth room, the
first frame will always be the Virtual Fashion rendition of the
model and the last frame will represent the new pose for still
work. While I did not create an animation, you can see from the
above screen captures that the clothes definitely followed the new
poses.

The requirements for Virtual Fashion are, Poser 6
and the following:

Windows

Windows 2000/XP

Pentium IV, 1 Ghz or better processor

256 MB RAM or better

550 MB of free hard drive space for installation

Super VGA monitor (1024x768 resolution or better) with 32 bit
color

NVIDIA Geforce4 / ATI RADEON 8500 64MB or any graphics card
similar or better with a minimum of 64Mb on board RAM

All supporting images are copyright, and
cannot be
copied, printed, or reproduced in any manner without written
permission from the artist.

The Paula Sanders Report is a regular Renderosity
Front Page featured column, where Paula investigates and comments
on graphic software, techniques, and other relevant material
through her reviews, tutorials, and general articles.

Article Comments

One thing is not clear, does it use Poser 6's existing cloth simulation module, or does it have a revamped one of it's own?

Byrdie ()
posted at 12:00AM Wed, 21 June 2006

Interesting idea but not for me, thanks. It only supports the Poser figures from what I've read. And that's a lot of money to spend just for dressing James -- I don't use Jessi or Miki or what's-her-name at all.

MoxieGraphix ()
posted at 12:00AM Wed, 21 June 2006

Thanks for this report. I got the program today and, other than having issues with registering it (waiting on customer service response) I love it. The very first thing I created was a very simple pair of wedge mules for Miki. I'm getting ready to try them out in Poser now.

laslov ()
posted at 12:00AM Wed, 21 June 2006

Virtual Fashion has its own simulation module. However, Poser users are more likely to simulate in Poser.

rl2000 ()
posted at 12:00AM Wed, 21 June 2006

Hi, alas this is the software that i have been waiting for but I am on Mac platform, can anyone advise if there is a MAC version? kindly help

Stan57 ()
posted at 12:00AM Wed, 21 June 2006

I would love to get this but it only supports 4 models and i am not sure if we are able to use it if we add body injections. They are very vague on its features I only use TY2 rarely, mostly use V3,SP3 and so on

ffabris ()
posted at 12:00AM Thu, 22 June 2006

Hum, if it doesn't support DAZ Mil figures, then it's useless to me, and many others too, I expect. Which is a shame, because it sounds great! I guess we'll see if they add something more, as this is the "Basic" version.

juliekitty ()
posted at 12:00AM Thu, 22 June 2006

Are there going to be modules for Vicky and the Daz males? I don't use the out-of-the box Poser folk.

electronicpakrat ()
posted at 12:00AM Thu, 22 June 2006

Whether a Mac version is going to be available or not has already been asked / answered in the CP forums. AFAIK, there will be no Mac version perhaps you'll be able to use Apple's BootCamp ? (Parallels won't work)

CarltonMartin ()
posted at 12:00AM Thu, 22 June 2006

According to the FAQ for Virtual Fashion, there is no Mac version, and there are no plans to produce one. So Mac users - make noise. And remember this inequity when you buy in the future.

LostinSpaceman ()
posted at 12:00AM Thu, 22 June 2006

This software was not written by EF and the creators have already stated that they have no plans for any Mac releases. Sorry Apple!

StevieG1965 ()
posted at 12:00AM Thu, 22 June 2006

Hhhmmm, no plans for a Mac release...big slap in the face for a huge buying percentage of artists. With no solid word on if the other Mill figures are useable or if updates will add them on, they ain't gonna sell many. Intresting concept and program, though, if it was fully compatable with all the Poser people I might be tempted to give it a whirl one day.

ptrope ()
posted at 12:00AM Thu, 22 June 2006

It definitely sounds like a great idea executed with huge blinders on. Like most of the Poser community, I use the DAZ figures much more than those that ship with Poser itself (I think I've used James once ... I just don't care for their geometry or their texturing), and I haven't fallen on the Asian/anime bandwagon - I've used Aiko maybe twice, and have no desire for Terai Yuki or any of the other Asian figures - nothing against Asians, as some of my favorite women are Asian, but is that ALL we want to do with a program like Poser? I live in Indiana, not Tokyo! If someone wants to impress me, or get my money, they need to create a program that generates deformer magnets based upon a mesh's surface geometry, so the clothing I already have will fit any character I use. Or something that automates the conversion of existing clothing to dynamic clothing and also automates the simulation itself. THOSE would be useful - this is just a curiosity for me, nothing more.

Vremont ()
posted at 12:00AM Thu, 22 June 2006

Is the e-frontier 79.99 a one year license? Has anyone made that determination yet? I was on the forums earlier for this thread and didn't see. Thanks :-)

ramhernan ()
posted at 12:00AM Thu, 22 June 2006

The concept is very good, in fact, this software is based on the famous reyes clothes, an top notch digital fabrics creator and simulator, the e-frontier approach is a lil excluyent, cause the engine uses hardcoded figures, and this will remain the DAZ family out due copyright issues ( at least i can imagine it) would be great to combine wardrobe wizard with this piece and maybe you can have a decent universal base clothes creator. a lil expensive bet to try out, as i found in the hard way, the only efective way to create neat clothes is using a modeling software. No competitve shortcuts at the moment for this process, lets face it.

vulcanccit ()
posted at 12:00AM Fri, 23 June 2006

I bought this before I knew it would not work for the Daz figures. It is easy to use though. I did take a little mini skirt I made and tried it on a V3 and with some changes in scale it worked but.. I got to thinkin...$80 bucks would of bought me a lot of Markeplace clothes. One thing is, the clothes are props... I like the confroming clothes that let you modify them. You can modify a lot though with this VF program...but it is, as someone said, kind of useless if you use DAZ. Soooo I kind of feel like I wasted some money here but maybe one of you gurus will come up with some better uses for it.

ByteDreams ()
posted at 12:00AM Fri, 23 June 2006

I think it is overpriced. And I also disagree with their page saying it uses the most popular poser figures. I don't use jessie or james - I find them a bit too boxy. and TY and Miki - I haven't bought on the principle that I think they are overpriced as well. So far I don't see any complex clothing images and it makes me wonder whether it can handle complexity...

Ladonna ()
posted at 12:00AM Fri, 23 June 2006

Useless for me. I dont like Jessie, James,Micky and all the other anime dolls. No for 80 bucks i can buy a lot of stuff at the Marketplace and DAZ for the Mill.People.

electronicpakrat ()
posted at 12:00AM Fri, 23 June 2006

Don't forget the G2 EF figures will be available soon. You might then decide to use Jessi, TY2, etc more than you do now. I use them a far amount and can't imagine I'm alone (but likely in the minority). The one year license is for product updates and support ONLY after which you can pay for the major version upgrade but should you choose not to the program will still run. The license fee you pay is perpetual in nature and you may sell / redistribute any you export from it. As evidenced by comparison of the program / demo from the www.virtual-fashion.com website and the software EF is offering (VF for Poser) are different enough to cause one to misjudge it based on the demo (as it's somewhat crippled). Beware of this! Since the items created by this product are dynamic in nature, you should be able to adapt many of them without modification (or very little) to DAZ figures. A free clothing sample is provided for your evaluation. Those with PhilC's Wardrobe Wizard can further tweak anything that comes out of this program and very likely convert it to nearly all figures supported by WW (which is alot)! If you fancy something cheaper, you might like PhilC's "Clothing Creator" which is only half as expensive. The WW / CC combination is very decent alternative even if it can't do shoes and the like. PhilC's products work only in Poser PP/5/6, whereas since VF is a standalone product which means it should work with D|S which you could probably test with the demo version.

josema8 ()
posted at 12:00AM Fri, 23 June 2006

I thought I was in front of the (at last!) definitive clothing creation tool. But I was wrong. 1. It's overprized 2. Dynamic clothing in Poser is a true pain in the ass only comparable to dynamic hair... 3. Who the hell uses Jessi or James?... 4. I didn't see a piece of clothing for males, so I assume this is just a tool for Barbie dressers. I was considering PhilC's "Clothing Creator" instead, but I am not sure about this app either. Don't be afraid, V3-only gazillion clothing merchants over here, your dominion won't go to an end with the arrival of VFP. ;-)

majikart ()
posted at 12:00AM Fri, 23 June 2006

I've tried it out and it seems pretty promising as well as a good idea; The two things that were'nt plus signs were that vicky-3 and Michael 2 and 3 were not taken into consideration and how many times have I seen James,Jessi,Miki and Terai in the Poser gallery???..Hmmm......Three times; I hope that Virtual-Fashion realizes the popularity of the DAZ models and creates a plug-in to accomidate them.

Sealynx ()
posted at 12:00AM Fri, 23 June 2006

Daz has done a great deal lately to encourage use of of V3 and Mike...like making them free. I can't imagine them NOT having a response to this. I too find the descriptions of this product are vague, and the fact that many of the features only work with a model that is apparently resident in the program worries me. I'll wait on this one.

trevorblack ()
posted at 12:00AM Fri, 23 June 2006

From the PDF reference manual or what they're not telling you at e-frontier. Design Issues Affecting VF Garment Simulations in Poser While testing Virtual Fashion garments with Poser, we discovered that certain design choices may either cause very slow simulations or fail simulations altogether. These are the two areas where such problems may occur: Narrow strips of fabrics Some design elements such as bands, straps or sashes may result in an unevenly distributed mesh when exported from Virtual Fashion, and as a result may affect the cloth simulator performance and render results in Poser. Specifically, the Poser cloth simulation may in some cases be degraded, and render results may show shadow artifacts. These effects may occur when straps or bands are created in Virtual Fashion by mirroring and duplicating cuts using the Cutter options. The shoulder straps in the following figure are an example of straps created by mirroring and duplicating an original curved cut. The resulting mesh may include polygons that appear to be elongated or bunched together, as shown in the following image. When converting such a garment to dynamic cloth, in some cases the cloth simulation performance may be markedly slow or may terminate. In order to improve simulation performance in such cases, the straps can be removed or constrained from the cloth simulation. Of course if you constrain the straps on a dress for example then they sit above the shoulders where the should contact. 'nuff said.

trevorblack ()
posted at 12:00AM Sun, 25 June 2006

Time to eat humble pie. There's a VF forum thread in the Poser forum that is helping to solve a lot of the initial problems that I and other VF users had. I've gone from feeling like I had been ripped off to being an enthusiastic supporter of VF. 'nuff said.

thisstuffinside ()
posted at 12:00AM Sun, 25 June 2006

I have purchased VF and overall I am very happy with my purchase. There are issues with this software, but i have yet to buy any software that has not had any at all. The program makes creating clothes very easy, and once you know the things not to do, they simulate in poser very well indeed. I do admit that the fact that millenium figures are not supported is a bit of a pain, but i really dont think people should hold this against the software. ( i.e check out clothes converter ) The 3d painting option for textures is also very good indeed.

jmikem ()
posted at 12:00AM Sun, 25 June 2006

At first this sounded good, then 1. The price! 2. Limited figures, that I don't even use. 3. Not enough info on this. Like: folds, pleats, overlapping {jacket-shirt-tie }fringe, buttons and such. They make it sound like LOTS of hoops you have to jump through once you buy it. I want to buy something, download it, & use it. Not go through contortions to please a seller. Plus, the price is going HIGHER after June 30! When people are questioning the product & the price, increasing the cost is not the answer.

DAD ()
posted at 12:00AM Sun, 25 June 2006

Since this obviously creates meshes that are draped on the figures in the cloth room, I'm wondering how hard it would be to chop up the meshes and make them conforming clothing? If this is doable ... then any clothes made this way for fitting the basic poser people would be available to every one via Wardrobe Wizard. Personally I hate draped clothing. It's to difficult to work with and takes WAY to long to render.

perfume ()
posted at 12:00AM Thu, 22 March 2007

I bought the new Virtual poser the other day.Boy was I diapointed,Wthis this model it does not have the makeup room. It does not have wigs on the models. And the pure fact that you have to do drapping in poser which I have not gotten it all yet is pure hog wash .It's alot of frigen money for not much of a product. $175.00 us dollars down the drain. When I ask for help on the draping part there answer at virtual fashion was this. Oh we don't know that much about poser 6 . You need to ask the manufatours of poser 6 how to get the clothing to fit proper where it will move with the body and say on. Wat a pile of horse pooh. Why can't thay simply make a product that will make the clothes fit and pose in there VIRTUAL FASHION. Don't Pay that much money for a half working program.I feel like I got taken to the cleaners.

perfume ()
posted at 12:00AM Thu, 22 March 2007

I just bought the new improved Virtual Fashion,What a let down. You spent $175.00 us dollards for a program that the clothing will not fit till you take it to the cloth room and do draping. You would think for $175.00 that Spain could produce a product that would render clothing instead of going to the cloth room and having to do draping on it. PHilC did a better product than this one and these folks stoped the man from selling his product. What a pile of cow pooh.Don't buy Virtual Fashion

PaulCoddington ()
posted at 12:00AM Sun, 15 April 2007

I was initially alarmed at VFBs unnaturally paranoid activation system (locking user created content to the license key and all that this implies for backup/restoration and working from another machine and sharing files with other users). Then I was alarmed at its non-conventional handling of graphics and interfaces (slow, stuttery, non-standard). Now, today, I have run a RootKit scan and discovered that VFB is hiding some of its files from the operating system! Now, is there anyone out there with the technical know-how who is running VFB who can confirm whether it is acting as a rootkit or not? This is a question that needs to be addressed urgently as it may indicate a huge security hole.

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